


Locked Away (On Hiatus)

by ChaiSocks



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Avian False, Avian Grian, Blood, Cleo is a maniac, Creeper Doc, Cyborg Doc and Iskall, Drug Use, Druid Stress, Experimentation, F/M, False and Doc is an underrated ship, Fire Elemental Tango, Fluff as it can get., Hybrid Hermits, Hybrids, I Don't Even Know, I don't know how tall the hermits are in real life. I did make some taller, M/M, Slime Jevin, Stabbing, Stress and Tango., Why Did I Write This?, and i love this prompt, because we need some more of this rare pair things, oh no, rare pairs yall, there's some gay stuff in here, werewolf ren, yes - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:42:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 10,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27529408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaiSocks/pseuds/ChaiSocks
Summary: The Hermits find themselves in a laboratory, with no memory of how they got there. The human hermits are treated well, as they are forced to watch the experimentation and torture of their hybrid friends. The scientists are crazy, and all of them want to get out of there alive, but that will soon prove to be more difficult than any of them realized.THIS WORK HAS MANIPULATION, EXPERIMTATION, AND DRUG USE. PLEASE REFRAIN FROM READING IF YOU ARE TRIGGERED BY THIS.
Relationships: Etho/Zedaph, FalseSymmetry/Docm77, TangoTek/Stressmonster101
Comments: 80
Kudos: 206





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [This Isn't HermitCraft](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24078535) by [Trashfoxkitty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trashfoxkitty/pseuds/Trashfoxkitty). 
  * Inspired by [This Isn't HermitCraft](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24078535) by [Trashfoxkitty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trashfoxkitty/pseuds/Trashfoxkitty). 



Bdubs jerked awake. He sat up, groggy, eyes adjusting to the bright lights around him. He seemed to be in some kind of lab.

A woman wearing a lab coat walked in. "Why, hello there, Bdubs. How are you feeling?" 

Bdubs gaped at her. "Where am I?" The woman gave a soft laugh. "You are somewhere safe. We rescued you from those awful hybrids. Thank goodness they didn't try to harm you."

Bdubs stood up. "They are not awful!! They're my friends!" 

The woman clicked her tongue. "I'm afraid that's a bad mindset, Bdubs. Do you have any idea what they could do to you? Now, follow me. I have already made a room for you and the rest of your human associates." 

Bdubs grumbled, but he followed the woman into a room with squishy couches and oak tables. Platters of food sat atop them. He saw Beef, Keralis, Hypno, and xB sitting together on one of the couches, all with worried looks on their faces. Mumbo was pacing around, stress eating one of the sandwiches, and mumbling to himself. 

Keralis jumped up to greet him, enveloping Bdubs in a hug. "Oh, Bubbles, thank the stars you're alright! I was so worried about you!" Bdubs awkwardly hugged back. He noticed Xisuma in the corner, still as a statue. Bdubs gave him a wave and Xisuma returned with a halfhearted nod. He sat down and gazed at the humans in front of him. 

"Where are we?" 

xB sighed. "Some sort of lab. The scientists here claim they are "looking over" our hybrid buddies." "They told us we can watch them while they brought in the first subject," added Keralis, wringing his hands. Mumbo walked over, grabbed another sandwich, and continued pacing, shoving it into his mouth. 

The door of the lounge opened, and a balding man walked in. "You all are ready to go? Need more snacks?" Bdubs gazed at the plate of sandwiches, and grabbed one as he followed Hypno out the door, into an observation room. Glass separated it from a larger area of space, padded with mattresses.

The man gestured to more cozy-looking chairs for them to sit on. They hesitantly sat down, and the man held up a microphone before smiling at them. "Just sit back and enjoy the show."

The doors to the mattress room swung open, and in walked False, her wings strapped to her body, unable to move them. False looked like she was ten seconds away from killing everyone in her sights, and Bdubs was sure the strong-looking men pushing her to the middle of the room wasn't helping. False dug her heels into the cushioned ground, but it was almost in vain because it was hardly slowing her down at all. 

False had lost her goggles, golden-blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. She wasn't wearing shoes, nor her characteristic striped shirt or green jacket. Instead, it was a white T-shirt and leggings. This made her left arm visible in the light. 

False had suffered plenty before she found the hermits, as she was trained from birth to be a killing machine. She wasn't born with wings as Grian had, she had artificial ones. They were glossy steel, as sharp as blades. The poor blonde Hermit had also suffered terrible battle wounds, losing her left arm, and having it replaced with a metal one. The design was like Doc's in some respects, except her arm was a bit more smooth and graceful, and elegant, and it glowed a gentle blue instead of a red. 

Bdubs clasped his hands together, grinding his teeth. 

/

The scientist watched as the blonde avian squirmed and struggled against her bonds. They would hold fast, he was sure of it. He looked down at his paperwork.

Subject F27 

Given Name: False Symmetry

Sex: Female

Height: 6' 1" 

Weight: 161 lbs. 

Species: Avian 

Blood Type: Rh-null 

Eye color: Blue

Hair color: Blonde

He smiled, looking at the hybrid. A tall, strong warrior. Fierce and deadly. And she was his very first subject. 

He cleared his throat. "Subject F27?"

The female avian whipped around to glare at him, anger sculpting her face. "What do you want, Smart Guy?" 

He gave her a gentle smile. "Hello, False Symmetry. My name is Steven. You will now be called F27 from now on. Any good behavior will be rewarded. Any bad behavior will result in punishment. Do you understand?"

F27 scowled. "Where are my friends?"

Steven's smile dipped a bit, but he answered her question. "They are safe."

F27 narrowed her eyes. "Liar."

Steven didn't know what to do. She was cunning. Eventually, he just gave up and started writing things about his subject on his clipboard. F27 continued to wrestle with the ropes. After about 5 minutes of struggling, Steven heard the snapping of strings. He looked up to find the blonde avian breaking her bonds, and within seconds they were on the ground, and the avian stretched out her wings. 

The large men who had previously dragged F27 to the testing chamber came back, this time with tranquizer guns. F27 whipped around, but she barely had time to react before being pricked. She fell to the mattressed floor, unconscious.

Steve smiled, and gazed down at the avian. "Ahh, go to sleep, FalseSymmetry. More awaits you in the morning."


	2. Chapter 2

Keralis stood up and pressed his nose to the glass. "Noooooo! Do not hurt the Falsie!" Xisuma made a leap for the balding scientist, but he nimbly dodged him. Keralis whipped around to see the stricken faces of Mumbo and Bdubs, who had forgotten about the sandwich he was eating. Xisuma made another grab for the scientist, but Keralis stepped in his way.

"Too risky, Shishwamyvoid." 

Xisuma faltered. Then he backed down, and the scientist crossed his arms, straightening his glasses. "I have no idea where you got this strange idea that these hybrids are your friends. Didn't you see Subject F27? She nearly killed Steven!!" 

Mumbo stood up, storming over to the scientist. "There is nothing wrong with False! You have no idea what she's been through!"

The scientist raised his eyebrows. "Well, why don't you tell me, then? Surely we can use this information to help F27." 

Mumbo furrowed his brows. "Like I'd tell you." 

Keralis found himself staring at the unconscious False through the glass. His brain tuned out Mumbo's yelling, and xB's sobbing. All he could think about was the limp avian inside the testing chamber. Poor Falsie. 

The scientist cleared his throat, ending Mumbo's rage-filled babbling. "Would you like to see Subject F27? And another of your hybrid, um, friends?"

"YES!" They said at once. 

The scientist walked out, and the Hermits followed him to a room. Zedaph was looking at the bars, and he didn't seem to have noticed the people in the room. There were iron bars separating the scientist, Keralis...

And a Stress, asleep, curled up in a ball, in a nest of twigs and vines. 

All the Hermits surged forward, but the balding scientist stopped them. 

"The Druid is sleeping. You wouldn't want to wake her. She's very delicate." 

"We know she's delicate," xB half yelled. 

The scientist smiled warmly. 

TWO DAYS AGO

David grinned as Subject 101 created flowers out of thin air. The subject was a female Druid, with delicate hands and short brown hair matching her deep chocolate eyes, with flecks of green. Freckles lined her cheeks, giving her face a bit of color. Her skin was a flawless, perfect pale. He watched the Druid, weaving her life. So prim and dainty. He watched her walk around the room, covering the mattresses with a layer of moss and tiny flowers. So quiet and graceful. 

Subject 101, his paper said.

Given Name: Stress Monster

David couldn't think of any reason this enchanting creature could be a monster.

Species: Druid

Height: 5' 6"

Weight: 140 lbs.

Blood Type: Unknown

That was his assignment. He was to take blood away from Subject 101. He really didn't want to, though. To see a mark on her perfect skin disappointed him. Nevertheless, it must be done. 

He walked up to 101. "Hello there." 

101 turned around. Yellow flowers popped up in her hair. David smiled. The color of fear. 

"It's okay. I just need a blood sample. Then I'll leave you alone." 

"Where are my friends?" 

"Well, the female avian is being apprehended. Who knows she can break the bulletproof glass with that metal arm of hers? And the cyborgs are being tested on too. I didn't know a humanoid that can be a creeper as well! Or the demon! All these rare creatures. And I can tell you are exactly like them." David grabbed her arm. 101 whimpered and tried to squirm out, but she couldn't. Not with his grip. 

He stuck the syringe into her tricep, and a green liquid was pulled out of the otherworldly female. Life. The druid whimpered, then her knees buckled. David pulled the syringe out of her arm, and 101 collapsed to the ground, asleep.

She looked so peaceful. David wanted to scoop her up and take her far away, but he couldn't. He didn't want to disturb her beautiful skin again. 

He walked out of the testing chamber, observing the green, silken sunlight that was the druid's blood.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit short. I wrote some backstory for Stress.

Stress felt the cool metal of the syringe enter her arm. She gave a startled noise. The so-called scientist clearly wanted to see her in pain, that was why a simple prick hurt her so much. She was never one to absorb or tough out pain. Druids didn't fare so well simply because of biology anyway. They succumb to pain easily. She was extremely lucky to have run into Iskall while running away from pain. He had taken her in and had introduced her to the hermits, who became her family.

She felt her knees give out, and she collapsed onto the mattress floor, sleep overwhelming her senses. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Screams of pain echoed around her, as she saw her forest go up in flames around her. Stress could hear swords clashing, and the snaps and crackles of twigs breaking under feet. Stress tripped over a splintered fencepost, and that sent her tumbling to the ground, mud splattering her face. She got up, took a step forward, and fell down again. She must've hit her ankle._

_An arrow whizzed past her head, and that was enough incentive to get up and start running again. To be captured by humans would almost certainly guarantee death. She wasn't going to stick around to find out what horrible fate awaited her._

_Stress dodged trees and jumped over logs, each action putting more pressure on her screaming ankle. She never stopped her blind run, or else she'd be caught. She'd heard stories of humans that made their captured prisoners do terrible things._

_After many long hours of sprinting, Stress was sure she wasn't being followed. The pain in her ankle was making her delirious. She should have paid more attention. Druids cannot take to much pain. Or else they'd die._

_Stress collapsed onto the cool jungle floor. She had survived, but if she didn't sleep soon, to not have the moonlight's rays heal her wounds, she'd be dead. Gone. She reached out her hand and touched the roots of a tree, a strong-looking kapok. She felt its life underneath her fingertips, and she felt the tree's low-hanging branches scoop her up, enveloping her. Sleep touched her senses, and the druid finally gave in to it, safe and sound, thankfully not dead. But before she did, she heard the voice of her soon-to-be friend, Iskall, who had stumbled upon the wounded druid, being healed by the moonlight._


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angsty chapter time!!!

Tango was cold. 

Which shouldn't have been a problem for him, because he was a fire elemental. 

But he did. He was dressed in a white T-shirt and shorts, and the scientist who came this morning with food shoved him in a concrete box. He curled up tighter, shoving his arms into his shirt, trying to get at least a shred of body heat. He willed himself not to cry. He would not cry. He needed to be strong. 

Although he couldn't escape the orange tears the fell from his face. He curled up tighter as he remembered the noises he heard last night. False's yelling, and glass breaking. Stress's pained crying. Grian's startled yelp. He heard Doc making death threats, and he brought himself to smile a little bit, but then he heard the sound of gunfire, and that shot down any form of humor. 

What were they doing to them? He hoped they weren't forcing False to hurt people. Were they being quiet enough so they wouldn't hurt Ren's ears? Were they being fed? Was Cleo being given her potion so she wouldn't go feral? 

And the human Hermits... I'm sure they weren't taking any of this lightly. Poor Mumbo. Tango could imagine him pacing, and Xisuma... surely he felt like he had failed them all, that he was a terrible admin, that he couldn't protect them. 

Tango let out a loud sob, and his tears started to blacken the concrete.

Sleep finally overwhelmed him, but sleep was worse. He dreamed of Xisuma, thinking he failed everyone, of False, being forced to kill again, and enjoying it. He dreamed of Joe, being forced to watch as Cleo became more zombie than Cleo. Of Stress, all her life being squeezed out of her, Grian, who lost his wings. Jevin, being forced to absorb things. Ren, becoming a bloodthirsty werewolf without his potion to keep him sane- 

It was all terrible. 

Tango jerked awake, sweating and crying, although it didn't make him feel any warmer.

He felt cold, and his brain tried to make him feel better by thinking of his friends, but the same horrid visions flared up, and Tango continued to cry. 

Footsteps echoed through the hallway near his cell.

"Tango?''

It was Impulse. His creeper T-shirt was ripped on the sleeves, and faint pink lines were visible on his arms.

Tango leaped forward, threading his arms through his bars. Impulse returned the hug. Tango cried into his shoulder. 

"Are you alright?"

Tango sniffed. "They're hurting our friends, Impulse!" 

Impulse patted his back. "I know."

They stayed like that for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's company. Tango's stomach growled, and Impulse let out a small laugh.

"Hungry?"

"Yeah. I don't trust the food they give me." 

"I've eaten some myself. It isn't poisoned." Impulse pulled out a candy bar. "Here." 

"Where'd you get this?"

"Stole it. I gave one to Ren, and he got a little too excited when he saw me. Hence the scratches on the arms." 

Tango smiled. 

Footsteps echoed up the hallway. 

"I'll see you later, I can't be caught. Stay strong, Tango."

And with that, Impulse was gone, running off around the corner.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are some adult themes in this chapter. Just a heads up! If you want to skip until the next that's okay. It isn't too important. Just some False/Doc action.

_Doc was happy._

_He was with False. They were in the dining room of Team STAR's base, dancing. Their metal fingers were intertwined. Her wings were spread out, fluttering as they swayed. His nose touched hers, a happy chuckle escaping his mouth. She giggled, and Doc let out a happy sigh. He stared into her eyes. Sky blue, but they turned to ocean near her pupils. Silvery flecks decorated them, making her eyes look like a midnight sky splattered with stars._

_He let go of her to spin her around, which earned him a surprised but happy laugh from his avian partner. He grinned again, and he slowed down. False sat down on the table, tucking her wings in._

_"Can I see your wings, Falsie?"_

_False smiled, then spread her wings out, showing them to her cyborg partner. Doc smiled, tracing the patterns and ridges along one of the blades, careful not to cut his fingers. False let out a happy shudder, leaning in and kissing him, wrapping her wings around the two as she threw her arms around his neck to kiss him again, the music timing their steps, False's gleeful laughter-_

* * *

Doc blinked awake. Judging by his tiny window, it was still dark out. He wrapped the blanket around himself and hugged his pillow, wishing it were False instead. His happy dream had finally given him some kind of solace, because, like False, he was a lab experiment. Being locked up wasn't anything new. 

His heart ached when he thought of False. He had never visioned what she had gone through her entire life, engineered to be a human weapon. Every time she engaged in combat, she had to stop herself from going rabid. The blonde warrior was trained to like killing. She used to be rewarded for it. He related to her on many levels, as he too was used to being jacked on drugs and steroids, and other things. He was a creeper, after all, he was not human. He just was human-shaped. 

He assumed False didn't think of herself as human, either...

Doc sniffed. Poor Falsie. 

Sleep overwhelmed him again...

* * *

_Doc ran to False, rain hammering on his body. BDubs was below her, a long scratch on his chest. Lightning flashed, reflecting off of her bladed wings._

_Doc sprinted when she saw her raise her sword-_

_He jumped in front of Bdubs, her sword hitting his metal arm, the blade clanging uselessly off the side. Bdubs took this opportunity to scramble away._

_False's eyes were like the stormclouds, and malice flashed in them like lightning. Doc could see the evil glint in her eyes, the maniacal smile on her face, how hungry she looked, for the spillage of blood-_

_Doc whipped his trident out, parrying her blade. "False!! You need to control it! You're not there anymore!" False's grin widened, how corrupt her eyes were, Doc tackled her to the ground, knocking her blade out of her hands._

_"Falsie! It's me..."_

_Doc touched the side of her face, which was a risky move, but he trusted her._

_False's eyes came back to the regular color, the starlit sky, her vicious grin fading, she was back to being False Symmetry, and not a killer. Rain splattered her face as she cried into his shoulder. Doc pulled her up so she was sitting on his lap, crying, and Doc felt like crying too, since he knew those killing impulses all too well._

_Eventually, his own tears pricked his eyes, and he buried his face in False's hair._


	6. Update #1

Hallo, my readers!

This is an update. I like to think I've been pretty good with posting frequently, and it warms my heart to read your comments. 

I am taking a break for about three weeks. It is Thanksgiving in the US where I live, and I want to spend time with my family. I also am a student, so right now I want to sort that out as well. 

There will be at least two chapters awaiting you when I return.

Until then, farewell, and stay safe!

ChaiSocks


	7. Chapter 7

"Subject TT4, please step into the testing chamber." Tango grudgingly did as he was told. He saw Stress as the other side of the concrete box, vivid orange daylilies curling around her legs. Her eyes brightened when she saw Tango, red poppies sprouting up in her hair.

Tango jogged over to his fellow Hermit, pressing his hand to the glass barrier that separated them. She did the same, and he couldn't help but feel his heart soar at her smile.

"That's enough. TT4, please face me. Tango's smile fell and turned into a frown. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw flowers turn a soft shade of yellow. He faced the scientist, hands turning into fists. "What do you want?"

The scientist, a short woman with auburn hair and thick glasses, tapped her pen on her clipboard. "We thought we might run some tests on both of you. A demon and a druid are polar opposites, after all. What made you such good friends?" She turned to Stress. "Don't act like I didn't see those red flowers, 101."

Stress shrank, and greenish-yellow vines crawled up her arms, her cheeks becoming bright pink. Tango felt a surge of sympathy, although why did the flowers turn red? He had no idea.

Tango crossed his arms. "I told you a million times. I. Am. Not. A. Demon. I am a fire elemental. Both my parents are, too. Do you see horns or a tail?" 

The scientist smiled. Tango saw Stress wrinkle her nose in disgust. "Nevertheless. Tell me why you have an affinity to the druid."

He turned to Stress. Her cheeks and ears had gone bright pink again, flowers popping up on the vines encircling her body. "Well... all of us hermits are friends. Except for Doc and False." He turned to Stress, who smiled. "Those two are perfect for one another."

"Yeah," Stress giggled. "They both like to kill things."

Tango smiled at her. "Yup, we're all friends." At this, pink begonias bloomed vividly in Stress's hair, matching the same shade of pink like her cheeks. Tango felt his own blush rising, and turned away from her, facing the scientist.

A door opened and for the first time, Tango noticed the windowed observatory, and he could just make out the faces of his human friends. He waved to them. Another scientist walked in with a potted plant. It's emerald green leaves were a stark contrast to the gray concrete that surrounded them. The scientist placed it down on Tango's half of the testing room.

Stress walked to the glass, pressing her nose to it, gazing longingly at the plant. The plant's leaves twisted slightly towards Stress's direction, and Tango could see the veins of lime green that wove in and out of Stress's earthly brown eyes. She did this every time she was interacting with plants and nature, and Tango felt something rancid settle in his heart. Was Stress being refused plants? She didn't need them to survive, did she?

"Subject TT4?" 

Tango whipped around, the bespectacled woman's haughty voice interrupting his train of thought. 

"We need you to do something for us."Tango glared at her, and he could feel his palms smoking. "What?"

The woman smiled. "We need you to burn that plant."

Tango's eyes widened in shock, and she whipped around to look at Stress, who seemed so at peace, her eyes glued to the little plant. He absentmindedly wondered if she was talking to it somehow. He didn't want to set fire to it, that might hurt Stress!

So Tango turned around, crossed his arms, and said loudly: "No."

The woman narrowed her eyes. "Do so, or suffer the consequences."

Tango turned back to the plant. It still tilted its stalk to Stress, leaning towards the Druid. 

_Stress, I'm so sorry._

He gathered up a fistful of flame, never taking his eyes off of the druid. As soon as he placed his hand on the plant, Stress's eyes zoomed up to him, flowers now turning a violent shade of purple.

_I'm sorry, Stress._ _Please forgive me._

And he lit the potted plant on fire, trying to ignore the pained scream that came from the druid behind the glass. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Y'all! I'm back!


	8. Chapter 8

Joe watched Cleo pace around in her little cell, a glum look on his face. Blood covered her hands, mouth, and nose. Piercing green eyes had an animal look in them. 

Her unnatural stance ticked him off the most. Cleo was a zombie, but she had self control. But that was all gone.

Joe remembered the dignity and light steps of the former Cleo. Her British accent had been replaced with the rumbling snarls and growls of her undead brethren.

Her normal tattered clothes had been replaced with bloodstained white ones. Her normally well groomed hair was messy and dirty, flower crown wilted and tossed aside.

Joe left whenever one of the scientists tossed in a cow or something to feed Cleo. He didn’t want to see her gleefully feast on a living creature.

That would make him sick to his stomach.

Poor Cleo would remain a mindless zombie forever until she had her potion again. 

Joe laid in bed thinking about Cleo. Yesterday’s occurrence was haunting to him.

Iskall had been pushed into the cell, with the senile Cleo. She had lunged at him with ferocious growls. 

He had barely managed to escape away, fear in his one good eye. Cleo had ravished her bovine meal that day.   
  


The horrible fact that Cleo didn’t know who Iskall was haunted him the most. The macabre image of Cleo not hesitating to eat her friends shook his core. 

That, combined with what happened to Stress and Tango a week prior was keeping him up at night. To see the two shatter each other saddened him as much as Cleo did. 

Stress had screamed and howled in pain, clutching her stomach. Tango had cried, howling “I’m sorry, Stress!” at her. 

The glass had been retracted and Tango had crawled over to the shaking Druid, and laid a hand on her shoulder. 

Stress sobbed and mumbled something to Tango, and he gathered her in his arms, mumbling softly to her, and Stress seemed to calm down. 

Joe had gone to bed with nightmares and troubled sleep that night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 100 KUDOS WOOOOOOO!!!!!


	9. Update #2

Hallo, My lovely readers!

I’m taking a break from this fic for a little bit.

“But ChaiSocks, you just took a break!”

I know, I know. I have to prioritize what I need to get done. I have to make sure my grades don’t slip. So updates will have to wait. 

“I’m going to be B O R E D!” 

Relax, buddy. I’ve got you! No need to worry.

I will be posting a Hermitcraft fantasy AU with some characters, starring StressMonster101 as the villain!

As of writing this in December 2020,(hello, people from the future) I will be back until I get my crap together.

My Stress fic is my Christmas present to you, so if you wanna give it a read you can! It’s going to be short and sweet, just like Stress, but that’s something my half a braincell can take right now. 

Peace out,

ChaiSocks


	10. Your Christmas Present Is Here!

Hello, my dear readers!! 

My Christmas present to you is here, my fantasy horror story is my gift to you! 

You can read it here!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27996804

Merry Christmas!

ChaiSocks


	11. A Survey!

Okay people. Here’s the deal.

I told y’all that I’d write you a Christmas present. And I did that and I’m proud of it. I’m glad you liked it too.

But we still have some time left until Christmas, so I want your input. 

Comment down below: Locked Away chapter, or Ink spin-off?

As always, thank you for reading, and stay safe.

ChaiSocks


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeey, by a majority, here's the new chapter! Let me know what you think!

False sat on her bed, staring at the concrete wall blankly, thinking. How was she going to get out of here alive? Her wings drooped, metal feathers slightly bent from the testing earlier today. The scientist, a green-eyed male, had set a flying course out in the fields of the testing facility. It had been the first time she'd been allowed outside, and she'd taken in gulps of fresh air, stretching out her wings as far as they'd go. She'd been instructed by Green-Eyes to complete the course as fast as she possibly could.

False had kicked off the ground, pumping her wings as strong as she could, before diving down low and swooping in between the obstacles. She flew up, then did a free-fall towards Green-Eyes, before he pressed a button on a control pad. Currents of electricity shook her body, and False had let out a pained yell, before crumpling to the ground, unable to break her fall. Whatever the scientist had shocked her with had paralyzed her muscles. 

False had been tied with unbreakable bands to a pushcart and wheeled back into the building, but Green-Eyes didn't dump her in her cell at first, instead, she was brought to a room with handsome mahogany doors. Green-Eyes had knocked, and an all-too-familiar voice had said "come in", and False was gagged and wheeled into the room. 

There, sitting behind the desk, was the head scientist, and False felt a low growl build up in her throat. Doc was in here too, and she gave him a thankful look before continuing to stare at the scientist. 

The head scientist smiled. "Why hello there, F27. I take it you remember me?''

False felt more anger bubble in her throat.

"If you don't remember my name, I am Maximillian. Maximillian Theodore."

False felt her hands curl into fists. This man had tortured her as a child, who was in charge of her dehumanization, her surgery to give her wings, and the one who sent her on a mission to kill human beings at the young age of twelve, where she had lost her arm. Doc made a grunting noise beside her, and she had the feeling he remembered Maximillian too.

Maximillian continued talking.

"I had no idea our former subjects had led us to more. D77, we thought we'd lost you forever. And F27, we found you again! Always the clever one.''

False felt a burning sensation warm her stomach. 

Maximillian stood up and walked around his desk. He picked up a book from the oak bookshelf and flipped to a page.

"This book has all the specs of your hybrid friends. The governments have no idea what we're going to do. "

The heat in False's stomach turned to dread. 

"These creatures which you have brought us, they are exactly what we need. They are perfect. A squadron of supersoldiers engineered with unique abilities. We can create clones, an army. Imagine that?"

Bile pooled in False's mouth. An army? With the hermits?"

"That zombie you've befriended, that should be easy to do. All she has to do is eat." Maximillian chuckled. "And the druid? She'll be a bit harder to crack."

Maximillian turned to face them. 

"And I bet you two would love to start the killing again, wouldn't you?" False tasted something acidic, and she felt like throwing up. Maximillian traced a finger on one of her wings, and he turned around to show her. Crimson blood trickled down his finger, making False's mouth salivate. The instructions in her brain that Maximillian had embedded told her to inflict more harm on this human, and she didn't notice she was leaning forward until Maximillian laid his bloody finger on her gagged mouth. 

"You can't control yourself, F27. Good girl." 

Green-Eyes walked back into the room to wheel her out of the office, Doc giving her a sad look.


	13. Chapter 13

Etho and Zedaph were sitting in one of the highly decorated rooms with the rest of the human hermits. All of them were squished together on one couch, packed shoulder to shoulder, nervous and uncomfortable. xB shuffled his feet nervously, Mumbo was fiddling with his suit cuff, and Xisuma sat still as a statue. Bdubs's lip was trembling.

A man walked in, in a crisp emerald green suit and gold tie. An expensive-looking watch was on his wrist, and he wore horn-rimmed glasses. His hair was tousled perfectly, and his face had the slightest hint of scruff. When he smiled, it was warm, but his eyes had a savage glint to them.

He sat down on a winged chair in front of them. "Hello. My name is Maximillian Theodore."

Etho felt Zedaph lean into his side, trembling slightly.

Maximillian continued talking. "Tell me. Are these hybrids your friends?"

"Yes," they said in unison. Bdubs was nodding frantically.

"Interesting. I'm sure today's experiment will change your minds. Follow me." The human hermits shuffled behind Maximillian, who led them to another room and gestured to pristine white chairs. Etho looked out the window into another room.

A white testing room, that didn't have any mattresses, was separated by glass. A small shelf of different blades was on one side, strong-looking iron doors were on each side of the room. Armored guards stood at attention, guarding the doors with what looked like a taser, although Etho couldn't be sure.

Maximillian sat down in a swivel chair and turned to face them. "This test will be different, I assure you. These hybrids are not your friends, fellow humans. They are monsters. Do not try to provoke them, I wouldn't want to hurt an asset with such powerful abilities."

Etho squirmed in his seat, biting his lip under his mask.

Maximillian turned around, and spoke three words into the microphone on the desk: "Begin the test.''

One set of iron doors hissed open, and Etho saw the tell-tale red glow of Doc's cyborg eye and False's reflective blue ones. They both took matching steps forward, eyes glazed over with malice, and they both glared at Maximillian through the glass. He smiled. The armored guards forced the two into chairs and strapped them down, restraining their limbs and False's wings. Keralis let out a tiny whimper.

A scientist with auburn hair and thick glasses walked in, holding a greenish-brown book in her hand. She flipped to a page and looked at Maximillian, who nodded. The woman smiled, and Etho could hear words coming out of the microphone.

_"Kangaroo. Ice. Lipstick. Lemonade."_

Etho thought these words were random. But then he looked at Doc and False. They were trembling, Doc's hands were clamped to the armrests of his chair, False's teeth were gritted, metal feathers twitching irritably. He heard Doc grunt. 

_"Dogwood. Ribbon. Umbrella. Ink. Dinosaur."_

Doc and False's eyes were glazed over, unblinking. Doc let out a roar, False made a pained yell, her temple throbbing in her forehead. They shook for a good thirty seconds, before relaxing. Etho heard the voices of the hybrids, sounding glazed and hypnotized. 

" _Ready to comply"._

Something that felt like ooze started to creep into Etho's heart, and the rest of the human hermits shifted uncomfortably. He heard Joe mutter "Oh, no", and Hypno turned to look at him.

"What's "Oh, no?", Joe?''

Joe turned to face him. "Those words... they're a pattern."

Maximillian grinned. 

"Those words. The capitals spell out something." 

Etho suddenly realized, and the realization hit him like a truck. 

The bespectacled woman untied Doc and False, and they stood up and marched over to face the glass, staring into space. 

"Falsie? Doc?" Keralis whimpered, wringing his hands. 

The second set of doors opened, and StressMonster was shoved into the room, looking confused. 

False and Doc's faces twisted into twin grins of savagery. They turned to Stress, who brightened up and started walking towards them, but stopped, her eyebrows knitted together, a questioning frown on her face. 

_"Doc? False? Are you guys okay... aah!"_

False and Doc leaped towards the druid, arms outstretched, reaching for her. Stress narrowly dodged the attack, yellow dandelions curling along her wrist. She nimbly dodged, but gave a sharp cry when a knife grazed her cheek, emerald green blood streaking across her face. Doc had gotten hold of the rack of weapons, and he had thrown a knife that had narrowly missed and lodged itself in the wall.

Etho felt Zedaph cling to his arm. Joe was standing up, Mumbo was currently yelling and banging at the glass, xB sat there starstruck, tears leaking from his eyes. Etho watched as Stress narrowly dodged a blade that False had swung at her. However, False flexed her wing, and she smacked Stress right in her side, who went careening into the opposite wall. She sent a vine across the room which wrapped itself around False's wrist, restricting her movement, and False yelled frustratingly. Doc ran over and threw a trident at the vine, which snapped, and False continued her attack on Stress.

Stress got out of the way, but she had forgotten about Doc, who had thrown his trident at Stress, and it snagged her shirt, staining the white garment a green, indicating that it had scratched her shoulder. Stress's movements had slowed, eyes half-lidded. False stepped forward, her blade rising, surely to burrow it deep in the druid's chest-

Etho screamed, getting up out of his chair, going to the glass, and he _punched_ it, the glass shattered and fell on him like rain, but he didn't care. Etho sprinted over to False, knocking the sword out of her hands, and he pulled down his mask, and he _bit_ into False's shoulder. False screamed, and she was briefly distracted from Stress, who had fallen unconscious, and Mumbo scrambled to help her, scooping her up and carrying her away, being chased by the guards. 

False's blood gushed into his mouth and he was tempted to drink it, to gulp it down, but he resisted. He let go of False, who stumbled and clutched her shoulder. Doc leaped at him, trident in hand, but Etho danced out of his way and punched his nose, effectively breaking it. Deep green blood flowed freely from Doc's nose, and he felt that same urge to drink it, but instead, he tripped up the creeper-cyborg and knocked him unconscious with his own trident. 

False was slowly recovering, red blood staining her shoulder. She yelled and swung at Etho, who swept Doc's trident at her legs, and hit her hard enough on her head to knock her unconscious too. 

He stared at the two fallen hermits on the ground, but he didn't have time to think about what he just did, because he felt a stinging sensation in his side, and then all he saw was black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quarantine Day 350 (I think):
> 
> Author has gone insane from writing and drinking too much orange soda.


	14. Chapter 14

Mumbo ran, Stresss was tucked safely in his arms. The tiny Druid moaned softly, but she didn’t open her eyes. Greenish sunlight soaked her clothes.

Mumbo rounded a corner at a million miles an hour, the angry footsteps of the guards behind him shot fear into his heart. 

Mumbo dashed down a hallway, and his heart soared at a sign labeled EXIT. He ran to it, his stomach aching, but he didn’t care, Stress was more important than his own body. Mumbo felt her blood under his fingers, warm and soft, but that made him feel worse. Stress can’t deal with pain.

Mumbo slowed down and busted the door down with his own strength; his adrenaline was running high, with what Stress bleeding in his arms, the unknown whereabouts of Jevin, Iskall, and Ren, Etho snapping, False and Doc becoming savage killers, and that creep Maximillian. 

The guards continued to chase him, and he felt a bullet whizz by his leg, and he knew his only hope was outrunning the guards and finding a shelter for he and Stress to hunker down in.

A dense forest of pine trees was ahead of him. He sprinted across the yellowed grass, a soft layer of frost crunched under his feet.

The gunshots ceased, but Mumbo kept running. He had made it inside the forest now, and he still ran, until he was deep enough where he was sure no one would find him. 

He set Stress down gingerly on the forest floor, resting her head on a thick pillow of moss. Her flower crown was wilting, petals shriveling before Mumbo’s eyes, and he remembered a conversation he’d had with the Druid before they had gotten kidnapped.

Stress had told him a Druid’s life force is in nature itself, and for a Druid to die is a rare occurrence, where the Druid is killed, the Nature is killed, or the Druid can choose to simply fade away. The conversation had baffled Mumbo. Stress was practically immortal. 

He gently scooped her up again and brought her to a tree, and laid her hands over her chest. He took off his suit jacket and wiped the blood off her face and neck. Then he kneeled down and put his hands on the roots of the tree.

Mumbo had no idea what he was doing, but he had to try. Was he going to pray to this tree, to pray for it to notice the fading Druid at it’s roots? To pray it recognized the daughter of moss and flowers below it?

Yes. 

Mumbo prayed, and he felt a little silly, and a thought hit his heart like a boulder: What if this didn’t heal her? What if he was just being stupid and Stress was dying right under his nose?

But then, he felt a pulsating beneath his fingers. The tree. The tree had wrapped it’s roots around Stress’s limp body, cradling her like a tiny baby. Slowly, Mumbo saw tiny white flowers, no bigger than his fingernail, sprout around Stress’s wounds. 

Mumbo collapsed. He hadn’t realized he had been holding his breath. The Druid was safe. 

And without further ado, Mumbo passed out.


	15. Chapter 15

Maximillian had invited Cubfan into his office for a cup of tea. Cub had reluctantly sat down and pretended to sip his tea while Maximillian tried to make small talk. He had responded with one-word answers, and Cub still had no idea why he had invited him. Perhaps he was letting him go? He didn't want to leave, not until he knew his friends were safe.

He set his full teacup down and played with a stray thread on his lab coat. "I have a proposition for you, Mr. Cub." Cubfan looked up, gazing into the eyes of Maximillian. "What is it?"

"The hybrids... well, I wouldn't call them hybrids. More like, creatures. I might even call them experiments! Ha, what wonderful words they are."

Cub gritted his teeth. "They are every bit as human as you and I, Maximillian." Maximillian rolled his eyes. "Hmm yes, well, I bet they trust you, don't they?"

An oily feeling settled in Cub's stomach.

"You can test my subjects for me. My team of scientists has complained that they've been attacked. But they wouldn't attack you, would they?"

Cub sat motionlessly. Maximillian pulled a crate out from under his desk and set it down in front of Cub. "These are all the papers and testing equipment you'll need."

Maximillian leaned back in his chair and gulped the last of his tea. Cub looked at the crate, then Maximillian.

"I'll do it."

Maximillian gave him a wolfish smile. "Excellent, Mr. Cub." He got up and opened the door for him to leave, and Cub scooped up the crate and walked out.

* * *

Jevin sat as still as a statue, trying not to wince as a scientist drew sticky slime fluid from his arm. The syringe filled with what looked like blue jello, and Jevin wanted noting more than to grasp th scientist, throw him into the wall, and make a run for it. News of Mumbo and Stress's escape had inspired him, and he hoped they were doing okay... 

The steel door opened, and in walked Cub, holding a large wooden crate. He set it down, and strode over to the scientist, who had withdrawn the syringe and was eyeing Cub warily. 

"Maximillian wants me to study the new Subjects," Cub said. 

The scientist narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe you."

Cub smiled. "Not to worry. I have a permit." He handed the scientist a piece of paper. The scientist unfoled it, looked at the paper, and Jevin saw a glimpse of curvy handwriting. He looked at Cub again. 

"Well, this checks out. Let me know if you need help with anything." He handed back the paper to Cub, who gave him another smile.

Cub waved at him as he left the room. 

As soon as the steel door hissed closed, Ccub whipped around to look Jevin straight in the eyes.

"Listen, Jevin. I have a plan. I'm trying to get on Maximillian's good side. I'm going to try and break us all out of here, and hopefully find Stress and Mumbo too. I'll give you stuff to help the plan, but please Jevin, don't tell anyone, don't let it slip, or Maximillian will do something. We just have to buy as much time as possible, okay?

Jevin nodded. Cub gave him a hug before picking up his crate and leaving. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!
> 
> Sorry for the random break, I was unmotivated to write anything lol
> 
> Happy 2021!


	16. Chapter 16

Cub had told his plan to the human hermits over breakfast the following week. They had listened with rapt attention, not saying a word until he was finished talking. when he was finished, there was silence. All of them were thinking it over. Xisuma cleared his throat. 

"This can't wait for long, Cub. Who knows what Maximillian is going to do with our friends."

"We also can't do it too fast or else it'll be suspicious,'' Joe countered. 

Xisuma thought of False, kneeling down in front of Maximillian, willingly letting him stroke her bladed wings, artificial happiness programmed into her body. He shuddered. The only person that was allowed that kind of touch was Doc, and Doc was False's boyfriend, her equal, her loyal protector. No doubt he would have attacked Maximillian on sight at the mere thought of the violation of False's personal space. But Doc was just as hypnotized as False was, so the intimidating warriors were glazed in poisoned honey.

"Those are both options. But I'm going with the fast one. Maximillian had violated my morals. I say we move quickly to kick his ass," TFC grunted. Xisuma jumped; he had forgotten that TFC was in the room with them. The older hermit hadn't said much during their kidnapping. 

Joe sighed. "TFC, the risks are too big. I'm all for speed, but if we move too fast, what if we make a mistake? A slower, more coordinated plan would be better. I doubt Maximillian is an idiot. He is calculating. We do need to act as fast, but we can't be reckless." 

"We can take a couple of scientists and dudes with guns,'' Impulse murmured. "I'm with TFC on this one. If we act now, we can save the others from being hypnotized as Doc and False have."

"What are we going to do about Doc and False, then?" 

Cub shook his head. "I hadn't thought of that." 

"We can figure that out later. But what about Etho?!" Zedaph had stood up, purple eyes filled with tears, hands curled into fists so tight, his knuckles were white. "Is no one going to talk about the fact he attacked False and Doc to save Stress's life? Is no one going to talk about how he's kept a secret about who he is?! Huh?! Is ANYONE going to?!"

Joe stood up. "Zedaph, calm down." He attempted to lay a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Zedaph smacked it out of the way. "No! I need to be assured that Etho is going to be safe! How are my best friends going to save him? That's the only thing I'm worried about right now," he fumed.

Cub had stood up too, his eyes not filled with tears, but fury. "So you only care about one of our friends? What about the others? My plan is designed to get EVERYONE out safely. Can you not see that's what I'm trying to do here?" Cub towered over Zedaph, being stronger and taller than the purple-eyed hermit. But Zedaph stood his ground. 

"How dare you," he whispered. And Zedaph stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him. 

Everyone was silent, looking between the door, Cub, and each other, trying to figure out what to do. 

Xisuma rubbed his forehead and left the room as well, his head throbbing painfully. He simply couldn't take any more of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angsty Chapter time! :D
> 
> Who's side are you on? Cub's, Joe's, or poor Zedaph's? 
> 
> Let me know in the comments below?


	17. Chapter 17

Stress blinked awake, her eyes slowly adjusting to the filtered light of the sun. Her hands were immersed in cool soil, and the roots of an enormous fir tree were wrapped around her waist, cradling her gently. She attempted to sit up, and the tree responded with her movements, loosening its grip but still holding her all the same. All at once, a wretched throbbing in her head shot like a bullet into her brain. The druid cried out and sank back down. The tree continued its motherly embrace upon her. 

Stress looked around, careful not to move her head so she wouldn't have to experience that unpleasant sensation again. She appeared to be in a forest, strong-looking fir trees surrounding her.

She wasn't in Maximillian's laboratory anymore. An emotion of excitement, relief, and fear settled into her heart, and each was begging to get recognized by her brain first, although the druid could not decide. Bile rose up in her throat, and she whimpered again as that bullet in her brain was shot, every single nerve in her body felt like it was on fire, and she could actually _feel_ her body stitching the broken marrow and muscles back together. She could _feel_ her body pushing bile back down towards her stomach, and the quarreling of her emotions was not helping. These sensations made her woozy, and soon enough, Stress passed out again. 

* * *

_Stress gazed up at false through half-lidded eyes, and what she saw terrified her, but her body didn't trigger any response to escape the threat. She saw the malicious hunger in the blonde avian's eyes and the rising sword. Her ears echoed with the muffled yelling of the human hermits, Doc and False's triumphant laughter, and her own thrumming heartbeat that was getting weaker and weaker._

_As False's sword crested, Stress closed her eyes, painful sleep overwhelming her. She knew False was smiling, happy to carry out the orders of her long-forgotten master, to accept praise from Maximillian. The cuts on her stomach where False had scraped her were burning, and sleep sounded more and more inviting. A part other didn't care that she would be struck down, killed. False would receive praise for her performance, and Stress cared for her friends, didn't she? She would allow False to kill her... it wouldn't matter. She would just become one with nature again, wouldn't she? StressMonster the druid would be reborn, perhaps becoming a gentle willow, or a scarlet rose. The taste of death was sweet on her tongue, all she had to do was swallow..._

_A crashing sound didn't relieve her of her daze, although death was becoming sour, disgusting, and she wanted to spit it out but she couldn't... it was forcing its way down her throat. No... she must not swallow..._

_Strong arms had scooped her up, was this person her kidnapper, or maybe they were an angel to escort her to heaven? Perhaps they were a demon, to whisk her away to hell or someplace?_

_She barely registered what was happening to her physical body. The Reaper had kissed her, had planted death in her mouth, and she was going to swallow... no, she couldn't swallow... it was a slimy thing, clogging her throat. but that slime tasted like sweet maple syrup... oh, how lovely it would feel if she let it slide down her throat..._

_She whimpered... she couldn't decide..._

_Something equally as slimy and disgusting was wrapping around her waist, it was death again, beckoning her, tugging her waist, almost pleading her to follow it... she did want to, she could drink all the syrup she wanted, she could fill her belly with that blessed sugar liquid, oh, what if there were other wonderful treats for her to stuff herself with? Melted chocolate? Luscious honey? Her mouth watered, and the death inside her mouth tasted sweeter than ever, the tentacles surrounding her body felt so warm and inviting..._

_She felt something else now, something not like the sour taste, or the sweet warmth, but something that tasted organic, earthy, and familiar... this organic taste melded with the sourness, and it felt a bit like downing medicine... the sweetness was overpowered, the tentacles shrinking back, and Stress didn't want to die, not now. she felt nature settling into its usual place in Stress's heart, and before she succumbed to a different slumber, she knew that she would live to fight another day._


	18. Chapter 18

Grian was restless. 

He didn't have anyone to talk to, to gnaw their ears off with his words that meant nothing. This had been his favorite pastime: to annoy the scientists to no end. It had gotten so bad that they had stuck a gag in his mouth to keep him quiet while they had run tests on him. Grian had been disappointed; the irritated looks of his captors had brought him the only source of joy in his concrete prison, with barely enough room to stretch his wings. He hated it. he hated it so much, with worry about his friends nad his own discomfort and the feeling of helplessness that plagued him every minute of the day.

Cub had run over to his concrete box a week ago, telling him that they were going to get out of here, and he hastily explained an elaborate plan, one to get every hermit out safely. Grian had hugged him. Before he had left, Cub gave him a tiny vial of gunpowder, and Grian had hidden it away in his pillow, cutting a tiny hole in it and tucking it in with the stuffing. The next week, he had given him another one. Cub explained that this was a very concentrated vial of dynamite, and he had marked what spots to sprinkle it on with duct tape that had bananas on it (he had also explained that the duct tape was Mumbo's and not his, he had left it in his dorm before he had escaped with Stress). 

That was one of the things that had bothered Grian the most while he paced around in his tiny cell. Stress and Mumbo. According to Cub, who had told him what happened that day, Etho had sprung up and attacked False and Doc, saving the druid's life. Mumbo had scooped her up and supposedly ran out of the complex, armored guards hot on his tail. His brain came to one very unpleasant thought: What if they were dead? What if the guards had shot Mumbo and taken Stress back under high security. What if Maxwell had taken Stress and was performing experiments on her himself? 

These thoughts made him sick, but this also was a mildly far-fetched idea. Mumbo was a smart man. Surely he had known he had a target on his back when he had taken the tiny druid in his arms and supposedly ran her to safety. 

And then there was Iskall. Cub had told them that he was safe, apparently, a person with a robotic eye wasn’t labeled as interesting enough to run tests on, which was quite possibly the smartest thing Maximillian had ever done. Iskall had been in a cell, which meant he knew what would happen on a regular day as a captive. 

Doc and False were supposedly staying in the same cell. Maximilian had told Cub that he permitted them to stay together. Cub had told them that they had broken the hypnosis and had cried and apologized over and over again that they had almost killed one of their friends. 

Grian ruffled his feathers, cleaning them, and he thought of Stress, who stroked his wings and helped him groom them. He thought of Tango, who had confessed to Grian that he loved the tiny Druid, and Grian had kept nagging him to tell her, and Grian had told Tango that Stress’s normally pale cheeks flushed rosy pink when she laid eyes on Tango, how crimson roses popped up while they were talking together. 

“Hey. Avian. Wake up. Time for testing.”

The steel door hissed open, interrupting Grian’s train of thought.


	19. Hi.

I have to make revisions. i posted a chapter, and then I forgot what I wrote. so.... gimme a sec.

brb


	20. Chapter 20

When Doc awakens, he feels False at his side, deep breathing coming out of her slightly open mouth, wings draped over the bed, so as not to hurt him. Maximillian had permitted them to stay in the same cell, so Doc had been holding False as she slept during the night. The effects of the mind control had worn off, and he reached up to touch the scar on his forehead.

Apparently, Etho had knocked him and False out, saving Stress’s life. This twisted his heart. Doc and False, the woman who was currently sleeping with him, had decided to kill, to end a longtime friend. He knew it wasn’t his fault, but he still felt bad. He had seen the fear and pain in Stress’s big brown eyes. False hummed and nuzzled her nose to Doc’s chin, and his scruff tickled her nose, as she sniffed a little bit, but didn’t wake up.

Doc gazed down at her, alabaster skin spattered with crimson red and greenish sunlight. Doc didn’t know how False could sleep so peacefully. Or perhaps she couldn’t, he himself was just a barrier of her bad dreams. He listened to False’s gentle breathing, ghosting over his throat. The avian’s scars had haunted her. Doc looked at the one across her face, where she had been sliced by a blade years ago. Doc remembered her telling him that was a scar Maximilian had bestowed upon her. Maximillian loved scars on his subjects. They were a way of saying “this is mine.”

Doc shuddered, and False let out a tired groaning sound. The Queen of Hearts was not a queen anymore. She was a slave to a cruel master. False no longer showed much resilience; she was slowly becoming more and more submissive to Maximilian. Doc looked at False and feared what would happen when she finally cracked.

* * *

Iskall was angry. 

He was always angry these days. He did his best to keep the scientists from touching him, but that was proving more and more difficult as time moves on. His eye was connected to his brain, so if the scientists figured out how to hack into his eye, he would become a mindless drone. And he didn't want to become one of those again. In a past life, Iskall had served as a redstone engineer for a authoritarian server, before he snapped out of the control and fled to Hermitcraft. Maximilian reminded him of his former master, and he hated it. 

Iskall was sick of eating cold clam chowder every day. The taste was horrible, it was like a sludge from an alien planet. He was forced to stomach it, and he needed to keep his strength up if he was going to get out alive. But his miserable living conditions were starting to take apart his mental health. He was treated as less than human, and this pierced his heart. He thought Hermitcraft was a safe haven for him and the rest of his friends, but how could they end up here? Was it the watchers? Did someone secretly hack the code of the server, to allow outsides within the borders?

Cub had told him that his cell was close to the west part of the complex, near the entrance. He wanted Scar to distract the scientists, while he would set off his TNT to get t least half the guards at one side of the building, so that it would be mostly unprotected. He and Cub had exchanged redstone ideas in the dead of night, and this had lifted up his mood. They talked as though they were on the Hermitcraft server again, as though it wasn't a life threatening situation.

Iskall hoped it wouldn't be.

* * *

The smell of ripe grapes filled the air as Scar opened a bottle of fine wine. His job was to keep the scientists occupied for as long as possible, or at least long enough for the TNT to go off. He took a vial of turtlemaster potion and poured it into the bottle of wine, as well as waaaay too many shots of potent whisky. His goal was to get the scientists sleepy, or even better, drunk as hell. 

Scar smiled to himself. He was going to talk the ears off of those scientists. He should talk about Jellie, or the HEP, or other topics. Just long enough for them to drink their glasses of wine... talking was something Scar liked to do, it was how he won the mayoral race, after all. He could sound convincing. 

Scar poured a weakness potion in the bottle too, then stirred it. He loved passive pranks. Or, watching drunk scientists meet their comeuppance. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stuff's about to get real, y'all.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye, I haven't done a chapter for Cleo before!
> 
> This chapter does have a bit of blood and stuff, and there isn't plot to this chapter, so its perfectly okay if you skip it. But you know, the fic is rated mature for a reason. I trust your judgement, but please don't say I didn't warn you.

Cleo grinned, the human scientist just dancing out oh her reach, and she growled in frustration. Oh, how she longed for flesh, the sweet taste of blood, that wasn't from a cow or pig. Her brain echoed with his beating heart, as though it was an empty chasm of nothingness. He got closer to her, and this time she had caught hold of his labcoat. He gave a startled yelp, and Cleo smiled, before sinking her teeth into his shoulder. He yelled in pain, and Cleo tasted the iron of blood, and she could practically feel her pupils dilate, to mimic a predator, who had caught something particularly tasty.

The scientist pulled away, and Cleo tried to chase after him, but he was too fast, running away, clutching his arm as he did so, labcoat stained with red. She was disappointed. Human flesh was delectable, but this was as far as she had gotten since being locked in her concrete box. She let the man's blood slide down her throat, but it left her more hungry than it had before. She had gotten a taste of what is was like to be a zombie, a true zombie, not one that gained a conscience.

The undead, the drowns, the husks, the zombies, had treated her like an equal. as a member of their family. When she had turned, she was welcomed into their ranks, and she had introduced herself as Cleo. But she supposed that wasn't her full name anymore, "zombie'' came before her. She had been taught that her hunger for flesh was something she needed to embrace, as nothing to be afraid of. And being in this compound had made her see new lights.

She wanted to escape, not to become Max's killing machine, his feral creature. And when she did, she might come back to her undead brethren. When she had risen to become an queen of spiders, the undead had put a crown of black glass and obsidian with red rubies on top of her ginger head. She had built a throne for herself, and she had gotten her human and hybrid friends to participate in a game of murder. She wondered if she could do it again, this time with the undead. They had bestowed her crown upon her, made her an empress. And she thought: she could continue her conquest. She had gotten that far before, had summoned Stress, Ren, Tango, and Bdubs to do her work for her, while she watched from her throne and laughed at how easy it was, how easy it was to manipulate their minds to do her bidding. She had been an empress of spiders, why would she stop? 

She could vision it perfectly. Maximillian down on his knees, begging for her mercy, but she only laughed. And her dress, a flowing but slightly tattered dress of midnight blue. and that crown, that crown again of sharp and deadly glass. 

Cleo giggled to herself. And then she started cackling. And not long after, she was roaring with laughter, the taste of iron burning in her belly as though it was acid. 


	22. Taking a Break

Listen guys. I gotta talk. 

This story, which I've been enjoying, is yet another project I have piled onto my enormous pile of things I need to get done, and I'm starting to lose myself. Writer's block is at an all-time high, and I honestly have been procrastinating on this waaay too much.

I have HUGE plans for this story, including artwork, which I will be sharing when this story is completed. I have plans. I also have a lot of IRL stuff I need to take care of first. 

I KNOW you guys have been waiting for a chapter, you have been very patient. And thank you for that. I'm sorry I can't get it delivered. 

I might do some oneshots, or share fanarts of hermits, but only time will tell. 

So, this story will be on hiatus. I just have to get all my stuff together first. There will be a few chapters waiting for you when I return, promise. 

Thanks for sticking with me. 

C.S.


End file.
